Blaine Tessier strode atop the Yukon golf world Saturday as he once again dominated the Mountain View Golf Course and his competitors to take the 17th annual One Club Wonder golf tournament.

He shot a tournament record 79 to post an eight-stroke victory over 2010 champion Jeff Wiggins who, in his spare time, is the Director of Golf/Canadian PGA Head Golf Professional at the local links.

Third place went to Derek Wirth, the 2010 low net winner and the Golf Course Superintendent, who came in with a 90 on his scorecard.

The annual One Club Wonder, in the style of a pro-am event, featured 37 players with handicaps ranging from 0 to 29.

As its title suggests, participants are restricted to one club which must be used for every purpose – driving, iron shots, putting and, if necessary, as a bottle opener.

Not since Mark O'Meara won the tournament in 1996 (at least it says that on the trophy) has there been such a dominant figure associated with this event. Tessier has now been the victor in five of the past eight One Club Wonders.

His score bested the standard that he had previously set with a round of 80 in 2007.

Tessier began the round with an acceptable, for anyone else, 42 on the front nine. He then blistered the back nine with four pars and two birdies.

He could well have had a nine for the century had he not bogeyed hole numbers 13 and 16 which, for the rest of the field, were the two of the easier holes on this day.

But enough with Tessier for the moment, a sentiment that opponents and readers are probably already loudly voicing.

A crowd favourite, who until now has tended to lurk in the middle of pack, won the low net championship. That was Garry Potter who brought his score down to 96 from his past five efforts that averaged 101. This gave him, with his well-deserved handicap of 19, the low net score for the day of 77.

Like Tessier, he had a slow start with a 52 on the front side but then blistered the back with four pars and a total of 44 strokes.

For those of a statistical bent, the 37 players in the tournament played a total of 666 holes. There were 91 pars and eight birdies. The par 3 and par 5 holes offered up the most opportunity with a total of 63 pars and two birdies.

Putting is a central feature of this game with all players struggling to master that art with whatever club they are carrying (usually a 6 or 7 iron). The average number of putts per player was 35, which was no change from 2012.

Hugh Carruthers took the prize for fewest number putts with a stellar performance of 28 stabs at the ball on its way to the cup.

The tournament, which was first played on the back nine by seven players in 1996, has evolved to the current 37 players playing the full 18 holes.

The One Club Wonder always concludes with the presentation of trophies to the low gross and low net winners and, then, amidst a hushed and anguished silence, the bestowing of the lurid yellow sweater on the champion.

By NAT STREMY

Special to the Star